By Isaac Tay (25S06L)

To most of the spectators on the field, the game before them was simply a traditional match between two old rivals. 

To the Raffles Ruggers, it was their shot to make a name for themselves. It was a chance for them to prove that they could uphold the standard of rugby their seniors had set over the years, in spite of being the COVID batch.

You see, this batch of players experienced a different journey from their alumni. They were the ones who had their formative years in rugby suspended due to the pandemic in Year 1 and 2. Arguably, those were the most crucial years they missed, as many did not have experience in the sport prior to secondary school. This batch needed to show that in spite of this adversity, they could bring themselves to the level of their predecessors, and hold on to the trophy the seniors had painstakingly kept out of the Saints’ clutches for the past three years.

With this in mind, the ruggers stepped onto the pitch, determined to bring on their A game.

The crowd erupted with cheers as the starting whistle blew. Off the first 10 minutes, the weather posed itself to be an additional challenge, with the wet conditions of the pitch causing a couple of ball slips from both teams. It was the Saint Andrews team who capitalised on this situation after being awarded a penalty, and eventually scored the first try and conversion of the game.

As the game progressed, it seemed as if Saint Andrews had the upper hand and was not going down so easily. Raffles’ strategy to gain territory by continuously punting the ball forward (yes, you can do that) was figured out by the Saints, and they eventually managed to intercept a number of the kicks, rendering the tactic ineffective. 

Just as the Raffles Ruggers seemed to be on the verge of scoring, disaster struck in the form of a shoe. 

One of the player’s boots had somehow been flung in the midst of the rumble, causing the referee to stop the play. This unfortunately killed the tempo the players had going for them. And despite the good defence towards the end of the first half, the team could not prevent a field goal from the Saints players from being scored, widening the deficit to 0-10.

It seemed as if Raffles needed a miracle to win the game at this point. They effectively needed to score at least two tries in the second half, but the Saints could put up a good defence. But as the game continued into the second half, the team did not seem fazed by this. In fact, they looked hungry for the Kiwi Cup trophy.

The Kiwi Cup has been a long-standing competition between Raffles and Saint Andrews—essentially a part of our history. For the new Year 1 students, this game was their first time participating in match support, and they were eager to do their part as spectators, cheering their hearts out in unison. This seemed to have an effect on the Raffles Ruggers, who locked in and were attacking with a ferocity not seen before in the first half.

The players hammered away at the Saints defence, securing every ruck with a fluidity and going again without losing the pace. The ball was swung from end to end until RI reached the Saints’ 25-metre line, at which point the forwards simply took the ball and charged straight into the defence, winning metre after hard-fought metre. Finally, at the 5-metre line, a penalty was awarded to RI due to a mistake by Saints, and Jonathan Lok (25S06B) scored the first try for Raffles. Daniel (Year 5) managed to convert the try, bringing the score to 7-10.

By then, it had started raining again, as readers may remember the January period when Singapore typically has its rainy season. The rain raised the question whether the match would be cancelled, just like what happened last year. Thankfully as there was no lightning alert, the game could continue. Rain alone would not stop the Raffles Ruggers from fighting strong, and the line from the Unite cheer semed to echo throughout the team:

Down to the final moments of the match. The attacking line jostled back and forth, neither side certain who was going to win. But as RI inched closer and closer, they seemed to regain the upper hand. Watching from the side, everyone could only squint from a distance and pray that the try would be scored. But soon enough the referee raised his hand and blew the whistle to signal the try, and the crowd burst into cheers and celebration. Jonathan Lok had once again scored the try and Daniel followed through with the conversion, ending the game with RI winning the match at 14-10.

This game was definitely a confidence booster for the team. In a poetic sense, it mirrored the journey the A Division took, having to recover from the deficit they experienced due to COVID. Yet they managed to recover, and prove to themselves and everyone else that they had what it takes to claim the Kiwi Cup trophy. 

As the team lifted the cup in celebration, they were invigorated as they looked ahead at their next milestone: the National School Games. They were ready to take on whatever lay ahead of them.

There won’t be any shaving of heads this time, though. (You can read about last year’s NSG pre-game ritual here!) 

Raffles Press would like to congratulate the Raffles Rugby Team on their outstanding three-peat victory!

Team members:

• Yeo Shan Yuan Keane
• Liu Zheming
• Hui Anjie, Elliott
• Ryan Tan Yuming
• Vishnu Swaroop
• Ong Rei Hong
• Gao Huajun
• Lu Yuanxi
• Huang Jiawen Peter
• Jonathan Lok En Xu
• Aryan Ranjan Singh
• Fazil Olayemi Olaniyan
• Jin Junzhong
• Jordan Lee Zhao Feng
• Daniel Park
• Iain Chong Chow
• Aden Chong Chow
• Isaiah Ding
• Ethan Yeo
• Tian Kaiwen
• Nigel Yeap Jun Ming
• Erick Tio
• Ashton Yong Hao Ming